Automatic firearm



K. A. BR AUNINGQ AUTOMATIC FIREARM. APPLICATION FILED SEPLZS, 1917.

1,411,473, Ptented Apr. 4, 1922.

KARL AUGUST BRAUNING, OF.HERSTAL, BELGIUM.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4., 31922.

Application. filed September 26, 1917. Serial No. 193,305.

(GRANTED UNDER THE IROVISIONS F THEAGT OEMARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L, 1313.)

I T 0. all ham it may-concern Beitdrnown that I, K RL AUGUs'r BnliUN- ING, engineer, asubject otthe Emperor of Germany, residingat Herstal, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s in- Autom-atio Firearms (for which I have filed an application in Germany July 2, 1914;) andl do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable other skilled in the-art to which it appertains tomake and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying; drawings, and to letters or figures-ofreference marked therein,-which form a part of this specification.

-The present invention has for its object a- .device by means of which it. is possible to perform, with'an automatic firearm, a semiautomatic fire, that is'to say, a fire during whichv several operations are performedby hand,v in. order to diminish the-rapidity of thefire without however imposing upon'the shooter fatiguing efforts.

In the-known semi-automatic fire arms use ismade of a device for retaining the breech bolt invopen position after each shot in such mannerthat it is necessary, when continuing the fire, to actuate said device-so as to free iso'bligedtoaccomplishby the hand as in non-automaticfirearms, the closing and locking. of the breech .boltend also, in certain cases, the-introductionot the cartridgeat eachsshot. I

These resultseare obtained. by meansof a device whichrenders it possible "to lock the recoil springigin. such a position that it acts no ,more -upon, the movements 0t the bolt except-as a buffer. For this purpose the recoil; springv on being, compressed can be lockedand disconnected-from thebolt, which remains capable of movingfreely.

The eompl ressed-epringgmay alsoser'veas a buffer in order to limit the recoil of the breech bolt.

The accompanying drawings show by way of examplea preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. l is a side view, partially in section, ot a firearm provided with the device for the semi-automatic fire.

Figs. 2 and 3 show respectively a top view and aside view of the device on an enlarged scale.

F igs. ltand Saresections taken on A-l3 in showing the parts in two difierent positions.

6 is a section on CD of Fig. 5.

Fig.7 asa view of a part shown sep arately.

Fig.5 is a partial...sideview showing severalinterior parts of the device. The firearm comprises a breech-bolt 1' slid mg in the hollowof the breech-frame 2 and receiving the'action of a-recoil spring. The latter is in. the storm ot'a helical spring 3 resting atits-rear end against the bottom of a hollow cap 4 closing the breechframe and at the other end againstthe brim 5 of the socket 6. The latteris put on a cylindrical extent-101i 7 ofzthe breech bolt without being securedto said extension;

According to the present invention, when semiautomatic firing is to be performed, it is only necessary to attach the socket 6 to capet. at the.- moment the spring is compressed. editor-this hasbeen done, the breech bolt is yet capable of moving in the breech 1 frame, whilst the extension 7 can slide i reely out 'oitthesocket '6.

' l-kccordingly, thesocket 6 is provided with a head" 8 which, when the breech bolt has reached the rear end of its travel, passes through a circular opening provided in the bottomofthe hollow cap 4. Behind said opening is slidably mounted a little arresting or locking member 9, also provided with a circularxopening 12, which canoccupy two positions. a The position sh own in Fig. rem-- responds to the automatic *fire, the head 8 and its.enlarged'portion 11 are then allowed to pass freely through the openings 10 and 12 which-are exactly the one behind the other. Vhenon the contrary themember 9 is in the position shown in Fig. 5, the edge 13 of the opening 12 prevents the enlarged portion 11 from getting out and the recoil spring 3 is consequently locked,

The arresting or locking member 9 is displaced by means of the cover 14 secured at the rear end of the cap 4. The inner face of the bottom of this cover is shown in Fig. 7; it is provided with a hollow 15, the edges 18 of which are intended to work as cams and act upon the rounded portion 16 of the arresting member 9 when the cover 14 is caused to turn on the cap 4:. The member 9 is guided during its sliding movements by its rilos 27 which are engaged in corresponding grooves of the bottom of the cap 4. A little spring 17 urges always the arresting member 9 towards the position of semi-air tomatic lire when such a movement is rendered possible according to the position of the cam 18 (Figs. 5 and 6).

When the cover let'is then causedcto turn through an angle of about 90, the portion 19 of cam 18 is brought into contact With the rounded portion 16 ofmember 9 and urges said-member 9 again in the position corresponding to the automatic fire (Fig. 4) A button 20 associated with spring 17 and passingthrough the slit 21 ofthe cover, is used in order to lock the cover in the one or the other position; this button is provided with a lateral projection 22 which enters into the notches 23 and 24: of the slit 21. It is to be noted that the edge of ,the opening 12 is provided with an inclined or bevelled surface 25 in such a manner that if the arresting member 9 is brought into the position for the semi-automatic fire when the breech is closed, at the following recoil movement of the breech bolt the portion 11 of the head 8 urges the arresting member 9 sidewards so aS to enter into theopening 12, after which it is seized by the edge ofsaid opening that comes again in its former position under the action of the spring 7.

It is accordingly always possible to make the arm ready for semi-automatic fire or to make it ready for automatic fire Whatever may be the position of the breech bolt. The

purpose of using a cam '18 in order to move the arresting member 9 is to render this movement mor easy when the recoil spring is compressed.

When the recoil spring is compressed for the semi-automatic fire, it can serve as a buffer in order to damp the impact of" the The cap is secured to the breech frame by any suitable means, such as a bayonetdevice.

lVhat I claim is: r

1. In a fire arm, a breech frame, a breech bolt, a socket embracing the rear end of said breech bolt, a helical spring embracing said socket and resting against the rear end of said breech frame, a movable cover at the rear of said breech frame, and means actuated by said cover adapted to arrest and lock the socket to the frame when the spring is compressed so that the bolt may operate independently of said spring.

2. In a fire arm, a breech frame, a breech bolt, a socket embracing the rear end of said breech bolt, a helical spring embracing said socket and resting against the rear end of said breech frame, an angularly displaceable cover at the rear of the breech frame, and means actuated by said cover adapted to arrest and'lock the socket to the frame when the spring is compressed, so that the bolt may operate independently of said spring.

3. Ina fire arm, a breech frame, a breech bolt, a socket embracing the rear end of said breech bolt, a. helical spring embracing said socket and resting against the rear end of said breech frame, a locking member for said socket, and ,a movable cover arranged at the rear of the breech frame and provided with inner cam surfaces adapted to engage the said locking member so as to move the same into position for arresting and locking the socket when the spring is compressed.

4c. In a fire arm, a. breech frame, a breech bolt, a socket embracing the rear end of said. breech bolt, a helical spring embracing said socket and resting against the'rear end of said breech frame, a locking member having a bevelled. portion which permits of the spring and socket being automatically locked by the recoil, and a movable cover arranged at the rear of the breech frame and provided with inner cam surfaces adapted to engage the said locking member so as to move the same into position for arresting and locking the socket when the spring is compressed.

5. In an automatic firearm, a breech frame, a sliding breech bolt, a socket embracing the rear end of said breech bolt, a helical recoil spring embracing said socket and resting against the rear end of said breech frame, a sliding locking member for the socket, a movable cover arranged at the rear end of the breech frame and provided with inner cam'surfaces adapted to move the locking member into position to lock the socket, and a spring button for locking said movable'cover in any adjusted position.

6. In an automatic firearm, a breech frame, a sliding breech bolt, a socket embracing the rear. end of said breech bolt, a helical recoil spring embracing said socket In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

KARL AUGUST BRAUNING.

Witnesses HERMANN ISRAEL, MAX BOSCHAUN. 

